Despite advances, the lack of internet connection and even electricity remain barriers to access to healthcare and development in the northern region of the country.

Even simple diagnoses, such as diabetes or hypertension, can take months to be detected due to a lack of infrastructure in isolated indigenous or riverside communities.

According to data from Cetic.br (Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society), in 2009, only 24% of households in the North had an internet connection, a rate that rose to 81% in 2020.

However, the quality of the connection is extremely unequal, according to 2022 data from the National Telecommunications Agency. Roraima, Amazonas, Pará, Maranhão, and Piauí are the states with very low connectivity rates.

The lack of connection hinders everything from basic actions in Basic Health Units, such as access to digital medical records and vaccine registration systems, to high-complexity care that requires a digital system, such as sending imaging exams and training healthcare professionals from other states.